A means of increasing the effectiveness of preventive dental practice is the improvement of the appropriate dental materials that are available to the practitioner. Current and planned research efforts include the development of synthetic methods and syntheses of more effective chemical coupling agents for use as a primer with "sealant" resins on etched enamel surfaces. The dentist, at present, does not have materials that will form adhesive bonds of adequate strength or durability to exposed root surfaces or other surfaces of dentin. It is proposed that specific chemical treatments of dentin and enamel surfaces with "mordants" can improve the quality of active sites to which poly-functional surface- active comonomers can adhere. Certain mordant metal ions can rapidly exchange with calcium ions hydroxyapatite and can probably interact with collagenous components of the tooth also. It is proposed that these metal ion surface sites can react better (than calcium) with chelating groups on the coupling agents, which compounds can additionally copolymerize with monomers of sealants, composites or other dental resins. The results obtained to the present time are encouraging. Bibliographic references: Bowen, R.L. Dental Primer Varnish. U.S. Patent No. 3,785,832 Jan 15, 1974. Bowen, R.L., and Antonucci, J. M. Dimethacrylate monomers of aromatic diethers. J. Dent Res 54:599 May- June 1975.